DS9 Actors Talk Memories At Las Vegas Con

Thirteen members of the Deep Space Nine ensemble were on hand at last weekend's 35th Anniversary convention in Las Vegas, gathering together to share memories of Trek with the audience.

Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys) talked about her passion for the character of Kira, and how proud she was to have played such a strong female. According to a report by Jacqueline Bundy at the Trekker Newsletter, the actress said that she was "determined to fight for her vision of Kira" which often led to "enormous fights with Ira [Steven Behr - DS9 executive producer]."

Asked about playing Kira's Mirror Universe alter ego, the Indendant, Visitor was quick to point out the differences between the two characters. "Kira was passionately devoted to a cause," she said, "while the Intendant was passionately devoted to herself." Indeed, the actress used the Intendant as the basis for her role of Madame X on the series Dark Angel. Visitor was offered a recurring role on the sci-fi show, but turned it down, even though she enjoyed working on the series.

Alexander Siddig (Julian Bashir) talked about his work in more contemporary settings, which included the role of a sherpa in the film 'Vertical Limit.' The actor said that he enjoyed the strenuous six-month shoot in New Zealand, where most of the film was shot at an altitude of 10,000 feet. "The coolest thing in the world was taking a helicopter to work each morning," Siddig said.

Another member of the cast who had been adventuring recently was Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko), who spent two months in Ethiopia prior to the convention. Lofton, only fourteen when he started on DS9, said that he was a "lucky guy to get to be the kid on the series and grow up on Deep Space Nine."

Lofton recalled his relationship with Aron Eisenberg (Nog), saying that their "rapport off-camera translated to their rapport on-screen." Initially, Lofton had assumed that Eisenberg was his own age, which led to a big surprise when he shed his Ferengi makeup. "But you're a man!" Lofton cried.

More from the DS9 actors attending the convention can be found in the full report at the Trekker Newsletter.